Improvement in tracks for elevated street-railways



S. DODSON. Track for Elevated Street'Railways.

No. 221,450. Patented Nov. 11,1879.

Zi d- 2204122 02 w 6167M, [m M w g N. PEI'ERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WA8HiNGTOH UNITED STATES PA'IENT ()FFIGE.

SILAS DODSON, OF ROCHESTER, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO EVAN B. DODSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRACKS FOR ELEVATED STREET-RAI'LWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,450, dated November 11, 1879; application filed October 21, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SrLAs DODSON, of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tracks for Elevated Street-Railroads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a section of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same.

My improvement relates to elevated roadbeds and tracks for street-railroads, and is designed to lessen the noise and lessen the dust and dirt which are such an objection to the present form of street-railways.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and arrangement hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A A represent the ordinary stringers or sills which rest upon the columns and form the support to the road. On the under side of these sills are rubber or other pads a. a, which rest between the sills and the columns and prevent the rigidity and jar that would otherwise occur. B B are the crossties laid upon the sills, which are also of ordinary construction. Ordinarily the rails are laid upon these cross-ties, leaving the whole frame-work open; but this is objectionable for many reasons, the chief of which are that great noise is produced, and the dust and dirt areblown by every wind down upon the passers below.

My invention is as follows: C is a tight flooring laid over the ties, and upon which the rails D D are located. E E are closed sides on opposite sides of the track, rising to considerable height, but not obstructing the windows of the cars. A continuous trough is thus formed, which is tight and catches all the dirt and prevents the same from being blown and scattered below. This dirt maybe readily swept and gathered at night by a suitable machine. The floor may be either single or double, but the latter is preferable, in which case the space between the two layers is filled in with a layer of mortar or cement, b, as shown in Fig. 2. Instead of this the cement may be spread in a layer over the whole top of the floor, its object being specially to deaden the sound of the cars and produce less noise.

A road-bed constructed as above described obviates many of the objections to elevated railways. The noise is greatly deadened by the closed bottom and sides. This trough form of the road prevents the blowing and scattering of the dirt. It also hides the cars from sight below. Itgives additional security against running oft the track.

Pipes may be used at intervals to drain off the water in the road-bed to sewers in any de sired way.

What I claim as new is- A road-bed for elevated railways, consisting of a tight flooring and closed sides, with a layer of cement between the layers of the flooring, or spread on top of the flooring, as and for the purpose specified.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SILAS DODSON.

Witnesses R. F. OSGOOD, R. E. WHITE. 

